As the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use are both on the rise in the United States, people are not necessarily using alcohol less and may be unaware of the risks of combining alcohol and marijuana, according to researchers who found that compared to people who only drank alcohol, those who used alcohol and marijuana simultaneously were more likely to drink heavier and more often.

Muzi Na, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, has been named the Broadhurst Career Development Professor for the Study of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, which will further fund her research on the links between food security and non-health effects.

Stephen Kodish, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and nutritional sciences, has been named the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Nutrition, which will support his global research agenda focused on the social and behavioral dimensions of public health nutrition.

Asher Rosinger, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and anthropology and director of the Water, Health, and Nutrition Lab, has been named the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Global Health, further funding his research on water insecurity and associated behavioral and nutritional effects.

The devastating consequences of the opioid crisis are far-reaching in the United States, impacting public health as well as social and economic welfare. Penn State researchers recently collaborated to address the issue in a supplement of The American Journal of Managed Care.

Knee injuries can be a scourge to collegiate and pro athletes alike, but Penn State researchers say a single measurement taken by a clinician may help predict whether a person is at risk for knee instability.

Samantha Tornello, assistant professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, has been named the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Health and Human Development. The three-year professorship will provide further funding for Tornello's research on families headed by sexual and gender minority people.

Long-term stress has been linked with cardiovascular disease, but for people with depression, researchers say small, everyday stressors may be enough to diminish blood vessel function in otherwise healthy adults.

For patients suffering with chronic pain, relief could soon be found as close as their nearest smart assistant. Researchers at Penn State are developing a way to deliver on-demand, guided mindfulness practices via Amazon Alexa to patients experiencing chronic pain. Through their method, a smart assistant will provide Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practices to individuals in their homes. MBSR is a non-addictive, long-term pain-management alternative to opioid pain medication.

Young kids may not be as good at resisting large portions of foods as was previously thought, according to Penn State researchers who found that preschoolers were susceptible to the portion size effect — the tendency of people to eat more when larger portions are served.